NEW YORK, NY — Idaho Kidney Institute Founders Fahim And Naeem Rahim To Join Legendary Entertainer Jerry Lewis & Other Ellis Island Medals Of Honor Recipients At A Pre-Gala Reception hosted by the National Ethnic Coalition (NECO) on Saturday, May 7, 2011 at 4 p.m. at The Ritz Carlton New York, Battery Park. NECO will present the 25th Anniversary of the Ellis Island Medal of Honor Ceremony on Ellis Island at 6:30 p.m. The Ceremony will be followed by a Gala Dinner in the historic Great Hall. PIX11 Senior Correspondent Marvin Scott and renowned entertainer Tom Dreesen will be the Masters of Ceremony.

Each year since 1986, NECO – whose mission is to honor our diverse Past, to advocate for positive change in the Present, and to build strong leaders for the Future – has honored our nation’s diverse past by sponsoring the Ellis Island Medals of Honor. The Ellis Island Medals of Honor annually pays tribute to the ancestry groups that comprise America’s unique cultural mosaic. The Medals are presented on Ellis Island, in a dramatic ceremony, to American citizens of diverse origins for their outstanding contributions to their communities, their nation and the world.

Doctors Fahim and Naeem Rahim feel honored to participate in the 25th Anniversary of the Ellis Island Medals of Honor ceremony and certainly are well-deserving recipients. They were born in Peshwar, a small town in Northern Pakistan and were raised by a father, who was an army officer, and mother who was an army nurse. In their home education was very important.

Fahim’s schooling culminated at medical school in Pakistan. In 1998, he landed at Newark airport with $50 in his pocket, and a desire for the American dream; a desire to serve others. Naeem, his brother, had also followed this path, just one year later. Since that day, they each completed internal medicine and nephrology training at New York Medical College in Valhalla, NY, finishing just one year apart. Driven by the relentless desire to fulfill the American dream and a desire to build bridges between cultures, they set out to work.

It wasn’t long before their hard work created the Idaho Kidney Institute from the ground up. The sole purpose of this institution is to provide state-of-the-art care for patients suffering from kidney disease, those needing dialysis, and also those who have received kidney transplants. The decision to move from New York to a small town in Idaho was driven in part by the desire to serve those in greatest need. They realized there were more kidney specialists on their street in Valhalla, than the entire state of Idaho.

Driven with a desire to provide service to those in need, they opened their first clinic in Pocatello, Idaho (pop. 55,000). Hard work, and their excellent clinical acumen, earned them a good name quickly. One year later, they opened a second office in Blackfoot, Idaho, known for it’s potato community (pop. 15,000). These clinics now provided hundreds of patients a medical home for kidney disease, saving hundreds of miles of travel while delivering state-of-the-art care in the best facilities.

Today, the Idaho Kidney Institute is the largest provider for patients suffering with kidney disease in Southeast Idaho. Another satellite office was later opened in Idaho Falls. They now serve a catchment area with a population of 250,000.

Over the past 6 years, since the first clinic opened, Drs. Rahim have been recognized with numerous awards, including a Congressional Recognition award from the US Senate in 2007. US Senator Mike Crapo cited their achievements to the 110th congressional session stating that “Idaho has many gems; Drs. Fahim and Naeem Rahim are two such gems”. Fahim and Naeem have been recognized by local news media in several articles, including one highlighting their efforts to build bridges across different cultures in their Idaho community.

Today the Idaho Kidney Institute provides dialysis services to about 190 patients, several hundred transplant patients, and thousands of patients suffering with complications of kidney disease.

Naeem is an accomplished singer and has used his musical talent to organize and raise funds for local charities and organizations, including raising funds for the local family medicine residency program (which is dedicated to training doctors of the future for this area), Idaho public charter schools, and ISU’s school of nursing.

Fahim is an avid cyclist who has helped organized with community and regional legislators to fund road safety and outdoor activities for healthy living. He has also been instrumental in organizing Idaho Kidney Institute sponsorship of several local charitable events, including “ICE”, a regional cycling club dedicated to good health.

Drs. Rahim are also on the faculty of Idaho state University and are actively involved in teaching medical residents, medical students, physician assistants in-training, and nurses.

In addition to achieving professional success as practicing nephrologists, Fahim and Naeem have also made big strides in the business community. After their success in starting the Idaho Kidney Institute, they created a consulting firm that assists new physicians starting their own medical practices. They are each managing partners at NephroConsultants (www.nephroconsultants.com). Fahim was recently nominated (2008) by the local business community for the annual award, “Overachiever Under 40”.

In short, their journey that started from a remote hilly town of Pakistan, has brought them to a small hilly town in Southeastern Idaho, where they are fulfilling their American dream, helping and serving others. In this, they have met their desire with great professional and personal success. Having the opportunity to give back to the community they now love, has been their greatest success, a true American dream.

According to Nasser J. Kazeminy, Chairman of NECO, “NECO is about investing in the power of caring, whereas people from all cultures and walks of life stand together arm in arm to make a real difference in our world through shared compassion and philanthropy – not just for now, but to also inspire future generations who will continue to preserve and build upon the legacy that each of our cultures has contributed. With our Medalists, we will see America – at its best. We will see every color, every race from so many walks of life – together – celebrating – the magic that is America. Our Medalists’ influence and achievements truly inspire and touch the lives of people everywhere.”

Drs Fahim and Naeem Rahim join a prestigious group of people. Past Ellis Island Medal of Honor recipients include six Presidents of the United States, Nobel Prize winners, athletes, leaders of industry, artists and others whose work has made a lasting impact on humanity. They are awarded annually to outstanding American citizens, from all walks of life, who have distinguished themselves through their significant contributions to this country. The Ellis Island Medal of Honor ranks among the nation’s most prestigious awards. The U.S. Senate and House of Representatives have officially recognized the Ellis Island Medals of Honor, and each year the recipients are listed in the Congressional Record. To date, more than 1,800 American citizens have received Ellis Island Medals of Honor.

and for more about NECO and the Ellis Island Medals of Honor, please visit: www.neco.org.

About NECO

NECO was created in 1984 on the conviction of its founders that the diversity of the American people is what makes this nation great.

NECO’s mission is simple: to honor our diverse Past, to advocate for positive change in the Present, and to build strong leaders for the Future.

NECO does this with one goal in mind: Unity through Diversity: Investing in the Power of Caring.

NECO is a non profit 501(c)(3) organization with strategic alliances that allow us to support a range of diverse programs and insure that every dollar we spend goes to creating a better world in the future for us all.

In addition to hosting the Ellis Island Medals of Honor, NECO is proud to have formed meaningful and lasting partnerships with some of the most revolutionary humanitarian causes in the world. In these uncertain and difficult times, our promise to make the world a better place and uphold the integrity of all contributions still rings true. Some of these include the Gift of Life International, Children In Need Institute (CINI), The Ellis Island Immigration Museum, The Peopling of America Center, National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame, Boys Hope Girls Hope and Concern Worldwide.
# # #